Experts: Drought may continue in the southern United States

Fort Worth, Texas (AP) — most of them in the South is expected to drag on for several months or more, dangerous for fires, agriculture and water resources constraints, national meteorological experts said on Monday. Portions of Texas and a small portion of Eastern Louisiana were only part of the nation to rank in the National Weather Service s worst drought condition category, said Victor Murphy, program manager for climate services to National Weather Service's southern region, based in Fort Worth. The exceptional level of drought occurs once every 50-100 years, he said most of the rest of Texas and Louisiana were in extreme drought conditions are worst in 20-50 years of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Florida and a tiny portion of Colorado and Kansas. Other areas of these States face severe and moderate drought, along with parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina is pretty much. May our last chance to soften this stuff, because the month usually brings the most precipitation in many States, bone-dry, including Texas and Oklahoma, which need to be about 4 inches of rain in the next month, said Murphy. widespread drought was brought in last year's La Niña, patter in the Pacific that changes of wind and air pressure patterns. He brought warmer than normal temperatures and less rainfall in southern and central United States, drying herbs and shrubs that have become fuel for fires, fire and raged out of control in some States as of January 1, New Mexico wildfires scorched more than 390 square miles and destroyed 15 houses. Among those fires was a massive 15 000-acre blaze, firefighters were still battling Monday South of Carlsbad, said Dan products, representative of the New Mexico State Forestry Division .so that grass fires this year Florida blackened about 87 square miles, the Florida Department of agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Forestry fire burned. Texas more than 2 900 square miles so far this yearby destroying about 400 homes and killing two firefighters, according to the Texas Forest Service: North Texas Overnight storms only produced a small short-term assistance, but the parched State would help firefighters get fire 127 000 United States Acres 70% contained, "Murphy said. The only significant precipitation on the horizon for Arkansas, but too much rain could produce flooding, said he based on weather forecasts, drought likely to persist and even get worse, in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, as well as in eastern Arizona, Eastern Colorado and Western Kansassaid David Brown, Director of the regional climate services for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, slightly improving comments.but is projected for a small group from the middle of Oklahoma in northern Texas and Louisiana, Brown said. The drought is expected to improve in the eastern part of Oklahoma and Arkansas, and Florida, he said.the drought doesn t just lead to increased risk for wildfires, but it affects agriculture of spring planting and also puts the emphasis on water, Brown said.